Liz Claiborne, Inc. Funds Women's Work

NEW YORK, NY (May 13, 1992) - Liz Claiborne, Inc., recently launched Women's Work, a national program of community-based, art projects designed to heighten awareness of - and encourage positive social change on - issues of particular concern to women. Three pilot projects are currently under development in San Francisco, Chicago and Atlanta.

With Women's Work, Liz Claiborne, Inc., brings some of America's most innovative women artists together with local communities in each city to collaborate in the creation of original works of public art. Although they will vary widely in terms of style and medium, each of these original works will have strong common goals: to expose -- in a constructive manner -- timely social issues affecting American women and their families, and to explore options that will enable them to better understand and cope with their increasingly complex lives. Each project includes elements of empowerment, community building and dialogue.

The first three Women's Work projects, selected on the basis of input from the communities involved, address: domestic violence, via a billboard/public awareness campaign in San Francisco; concerns of working women and their families, through a children's book about working mothers in Chicago; and the environment, through an urban land reclamation/community garden in Atlanta.

"From balancing family needs with work, to enhancing the quality of life in their communities, women today are at the center of a wide range of complex issues affecting society," says Jerome Chazen, chairman of Liz Claiborne, Inc. "Our program's collaborative art projects are intended not only to raise awareness of these problems, but also to involve women directly in a creative process specifically intended to encourage new solutions."

Women's Work is a reflection of the firm's corporate philosophy of listening and responding to the needs of those it serves. Liz Claiborne, Inc.'s commitment to its customers is not a recent development. The company has a long tradition of addressing social concerns through the Liz Claiborne Foundation, which actively assists organizations involved in causes such as helping homeless individuals regain self-sufficiency, serving people with AIDS and their families and enhancing educational opportunities for underserved children.

Commenting on the relevance of the Women's Work program to Liz Claiborne, Inc., Mr. Chazen says: "As a company, we believe that our responsibility to our customer goes beyond the traditional role as a marketer of apparel. Our active concern for improving the quality of life for women and their families is a natural extension of our ongoing commitment to quality in general." He adds, "The Women's Work program is one way we can give back something of value to the community. It is our hope that Women's Work will continue beyond the three pilot projects, and become a new model for future partnerships between the public and private sectors."

The three pilot projects selected for the 1991-92 launch of Women's Work, include:

San Francisco: A Public Awareness Campaign on Domestic Violence

A group of established and emerging visual artists and photographers has collaborated with women and children who are victims of domestic violence, as well as perpetrators recovering from their abusive histories, to create a series of billboards, and transit stop posters that dramatically focus public attention on the problem from a multi-cultural perspective. Artists Barbara Kruger, Carrie Mae Weems, Margaret Crane & Jon Winet, Susan Meiselas and Diane Tani are participating in the project.

In addition, Claiborne has provided a seed grant towards the establishment of a permanent, central 24-hour crisis line in San Francisco. To raise the remaining funds for the crisis line, an unusual group-fundraising effort has been launched, spearheaded by the Women's Work project, and enlisting the support and participation of all Bay area shelters and service providers.

All together, this project will raise public awareness of the issue, leave in place a system that encourages collaborative fundraising and ultimately contact a greater number of clients who need services.

Chicago: A Children's Book Addressing Working Mothers

In Chicago, award-winning author Leah Komaiko was commissioned to create a children's book that explores, in the actual words and drawings of children, what it means to have a mother who works. For nine weeks, Leah collaborated with a dedicated group of 20 urban, multi-ethnic elementary school students, ages seven to twelve, at the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago. Together they went through the process of writing, illustrating and publishing a book.

For these 20 children, this was a rare opportunity to tackle a challenging project and to realize their potential as thinkers and creators. The result is A Million Moms and Mine, a new kind of children's book that offers a basis for family discussions on the complex issues facing working moms and their kids. The program is also an prime example of how private dollars can augment the educational process at a time when such funding is critically needed.

Available as of May of '92, the book is being distributed free through Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) for its reading motivation programs nationwide. It is available for purchase at the Liz Claiborne Stores or by sending a check or money order for $11.95 (hard cover) or $5.95 (soft cover) plus $1.05 shipping (NY/NJ residents add appropriate tax) to Liz Claiborne Women's Work, Department B, PO Box 726, Radio City Station, New York, NY 10101. Proceeds will benefit Reading Is Fundamental and the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago.

Atlanta: Exploring the Environment in an Urban Garden

Landscape artist Meg Webster, who gained prominence in the art world for her minimal sculptures using natural materials such as earth, water and living plants, will work with local Atlanta residents and architect Philip Parker to reclaim an unused site in the inner city and transform it into an intensely planted, environmentally diverse, public garden and work of art. In addition to serving as a model for urban land reclamation, this Women's Work project also will explore the connection of person to landscape through the potent images of garden, park, farm and city and the perception of plants and earth as sculptural objects.

Women's Work Enlists Public Partners

In fostering the collaboration between artists and various communities in each city, Liz Claiborne, Inc., is enlisting the participation of local "public partners," such as non-profit organizations, city institutions and other local community groups, all of whom share the same social concerns that are the focus of the projects themselves.

In San Francisco, public partners include member agencies of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Coalition; La Casa de las Madres; The Asian Womens' Shelter; Rosalee House; St. Vincent de Paul Society; Woman, Inc.; Men Overcoming Violence (MOVE); Man Alive; Cameron House; San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation; Marin County Abused Women's Services; the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center; Nihomachi Legal Outreach; the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women and the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

In Chicago, the collaboration between students and author took place at the new Harold Washington Library Center, one of the project's public partners along with the Chicago Commission of Libraries and Reading Is Fundamental.

In Atlanta, public partners for the urban garden include Park Pride Atlanta Inc., and the City of Atlanta's Bureau of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, the Atlanta Housing Authority and Gibralter Land, Inc..

Women's Work Program Curators

To curate and administer the Women's Work program, Liz Claiborne, Inc., has retained Y CORE, a Chicago-based art advisory firm that develops cause related-marketing campaigns for businesses and corporations that use art and culture to address social issues of national concern. Y CORE is comprised of principals Lynne Sowder, Nathan Braulick and Brad Trayser. Prior to forming Y CORE, Sowder directed the art and education program at First Bank System headquartered in Minneapolis and was responsible for the creation of the nationally-known TALKBACK and "Controversy Corridor" projects. Y CORE continues to advise museums, public art agencies and educational institutions on issues of enlightened patronage and cultural democracy.

Women's Work Sponsor Liz Claiborne, Inc., is a designer and marketer of women's clothing -- separates, dresses, shoes and related accessories -- with collections designed specifically for the work and leisure-item needs of the career woman. Liz Claiborne, Inc., also designs sportswear and furnishings for men, and markets fragrances and other items. Founded in 1976, Liz Claiborne, Inc., now employs more than 7,200 people worldwide.